The Wilmingtonian., 1887-04-09
A Police CourU Text.

The incident Of Superintendent A. G.
McCauSlaud appearing as witness at The
Municipal Court last Fnutrday morning In
the CASE of the prosecution Of the coal
thieves is a circumstance worth comment
ing upon.
It. was a case that the police had been
watching and working upon quietly. At
last their efforts were successful, and we
snail probably see wholesale prosecution
aud condemnation Of the coal thleves at the
next May Count.
In this case a successful prosecution could
not have been look,d Tor unless Mr.. Nc
Causland hah cu-Opel ate d with the police
IN The matter. 1t IL possible of course that
tie police authorities would eventually alone
have succeeded in catching some Of the
thieves aud placing them in Jail.
But the point is how much more etftctu-
ally aud ELI jiently the work IS accomplished
when the clJiZens who are Intel ested have
the intelligence aud pubic spirit To come
forward, as IN thls Case, and publicly aud
personally AID justice iu It's efforts.
Now, all along, in other directions, for
example. iu the Case of policy gambling G,
tue police are trammeiled aud unnece>sal lily
worried by parties complaining in the press
that they know of such aud such u place
" here gambling is carried on iu the most
HIgrantly pubic mauner. Wives complain
tuaJ their husbands are entiapped, and
mothers that their children are iuyeigled
ipco the gambling helIs. They threaten,
Indeed, often emrhatcally assert that they
will prosecute tp-morTUw mUrniug." The
following day when all look for a welI-sub-
sIautidted case of prOsecuti 'u of keepers OF
gambling hells the news comes that the
chief witness "dldu't want to go before the
court. They make the excuse that they
were never iu cOuit betU:e, aud don't ieel
ike testifyIng.
When such weak-kneed people as these
exist and ones who have such light recog-
nuiunuf the resp 'nsibIlities that rest upon
all citizens alike, what Is tue community to
do? Public order is impossible of existence
under such cUudltiOus. The police cannot
do everything, They need absolutely the
cU-upei aJiOu Of citlzens who are witnesses
of nisdemednor.
The public conscience needs posting up
| ia the direction of the needs ami Cetnauds
that exist against 1t az all times. Amvng
these duties are those referred to above.
QIps aud h.ugs have been too often
thrown against the police by many
thuughtless citizens, aud among them are
ne very ones who are morally guilty Tor
the miscarriage ui juatce.
| If a ciitZen knows where public wrong
Is being done it is his duty towards the
community TO come Iorw ard aud testify in
the name OF Justice aud the law.
We all haze responsibilities as policemen
morally, aud without our aid a good moral
status OF this community caunot be arrived
at.
Iu the W. & n. railroad coal case it may
be said that Superintendent McCausland
was only protecting his own interests
Tue, but now many public men, heads OF
corporations, firms, or others have the
sound common sense aud recognition OF
public duty to come forward personally, as
in this case, to individually aid the police
to a successful prosecution.
We all know that many citizens on the
contrary, shrink from such an ordeal. They
claim to be too sensitive, are afraid to ap-
pear in a police court case--or they make
some other paltry excuse, generally ending
with the assertion that 1t is the duty of the
police to do it all-they are paid to do 1t,
and so on! How can the police accomplish
anything unless the chief witness comes
forwardp